DOCSLIB.ORG

XVII. Timeless Truth for Timely Topics in Biblical Perspective What Does the Bible Say? “Armageddon” Revelation 20:7–10 Dr

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
XVII. Timeless Truth for Timely Topics in Biblical Perspective What Does the Bible Say? “Armageddon” Revelation 20:7–10 Dr XVII. Timeless Truth for Timely Topics in Biblical Perspective What Does the Bible Say? “Armageddon” Revelation 20:7–10 Dr. Harry L. Reeder III July 5, 2015 – Evening Sermon I’d like to start by looking at Judges 5. This is the great song of Deborah. This is our 17 th study on the end times and we’ve covered various topics and themes. We’ve covered the millennium, the Judgment Seat, a recent teaching of the secret rapture of the church seven years prior to the coming of Christ and issue after issue from God’s Word. This is the last one I propose to deal with concerning timeless truths and the battle of Armageddon. About a month ago I was standing in the area of the Valley of Megiddo and thought about all the things that have occurred there and the Bible’s declaration at the end of time when Satan is loosed a great, cataclysmic battle comes to consummation. It says it takes place on the Armageddon or the mountain of Megiddo. I actually was able to visit 28 cities of Megiddo because there are 28 levels where it has been built and rebuilt over many years. The valley is also known as the crossroads of the world as the road of the sea and the road of the kings cross right there. That was the place where known civilization began. So it is interesting to realize what will occur there under the title of a battle that takes place at the mountain of Megiddo or Armageddon. The only problem is there is not a mountain. It’s a valley. So what is it telling us? There are also a couple of other issues we want to sort our way through as well. I will give you some framework in this study on this. There have been basically two ways to look at the battle of Armageddon. One deals with the dispensational theology that says God has two plans – a plan for Israel and a plan for the church. The church is the parenthesis and when God finishes that plan He raptures the church out and then there is seven years of tribulation and then Jesus comes back. So He has a halfway coming back where He takes the church out secretly and then seven years later He has another second coming to set up His earthly Kingdom for one thousand years. At the conclusion of that one thousand years there will be this battle of Armageddon and then Jesus returns again and ushers in the judgment and the new heavens and the new earth. The historic position has been highly saturating evangelical Christianity for a number of years. It has been promoted by the Schofield Study Bible and other study Bibles. It was promoted by the book Satan is Alive and Well on the Planet Earth and the Left Behind Series. If you’d like to hear more on this I’ve already covered this and you can go back and read the transcripts or listen to the audio at www.briarwood.org/sermon library. The historic position of the battle of Armageddon has been that we are in the millennium where it is the expanding of the Kingdom of God and one thousand is not a physical number of years but it is symbolic like so many of the other numbers mentioned in the Bible. The Kingdom of God is expanding while Satan’s evil empire, though restrained, strikes back in various ways. His basic strategies are infiltration, intimidation and imitation. He is constantly striking back against the Kingdom of God to try and thwart it but he cannot stop the Gospel from going to all the nations. After this time we are told in the Bible that there will be a loosening of Satan with this three-fold of the beast of the sea, the beast of the land, and then an anti-Christ. When this happens there will be a concentrated confederation of national gathering to strike against the church of Jesus Christ. Our Lord will intervene at seemingly a moment when the church is about to be annihilated throughout the world, with judgment and that is the battle of Armageddon. Will there be a physical battle on that plain of Megiddo? That position doesn’t say there has to be or there will not be. It will be a spiritual battle that comes to a conclusion but with much physical ramifications as there will be persecution against the church, believers and the attempt to extinguish the church of Jesus Christ. That will be a worldwide movement that will concentrate itself. The historic position is that there is one place where there have been multiple battles in the Bible and in history that the prophecy of John that Jesus gave to him, uses that name as a symbol of this battle. It will have physical violence attached to it but essentially it is a spiritual battle in which Satan is attempting to annihilate the church. It is at that moment that our Lord brings judgment and then the final judgment and then the new heavens and the new earth and the lake of fire for those who do not know Christ. There are sub positions of the position I just gave you but we don’t have time to go into all of that for this study but those are the two basic views that are out there. Is Armageddon a declaration of a great conflict that is a spiritual battle that erupts with persecution and violence against the Lord’s church and Christ will come and pour out His judgment? The Bible refers to this as a cataclysmic judgment and in Zephaniah it says there will be an earthquake that runs through the Mount of Olives as the Lord returns in judgment to bring it all to a conclusion. Or is Armageddon just a physical battle? I think by the end of this study you’ll see where I stand on this but I want us to work our way through this and this is what I call a locker room discussion, not a battlefield discussion. This is something among believers where we can agree to disagree and the Lord will bring it out as it is stated. We always give those judgments in terms of the details of prophecy. Prophecy is given in apocalyptic, symbolic and large language. Prophecy is God prewriting history. He knows where it is going. He prewrites it in a way we can get the essentials but with the details we have to be agnostic. We just have to wait to see how that happens. I will give you an illustration. The Bible tells us two times in the Old Testament that before Jesus would come that Elijah would be the one who would come before Him. Then we find out in Jesus Himself that, that was fulfilled in John the Baptist. So it wasn’t actually Elijah being resurrected from a grave and then brought back but it was the spirit of Elijah and the blessing of God that was upon Elijah that was now deposited upon John the Baptist who became the forerunner in this great calling that he had in which no one greater than John the Baptist had been born because of the calling he had. So that was the fulfillment of it. It wasn’t a non-literal fulfillment but a non-physical fulfillment. The literal fulfillment was it was fulfilled by the power of the Spirit of God that had been upon Elijah and now rested upon John the Baptist. People ask me if I believe in a literal fulfillment and I say yes it needs to be fulfilled as God has revealed it in the ‘literature’ of the Bible. Spiritual is not non-literal. Spiritual is the way it is literally being fulfilled. So some things are not physically fulfilled but spiritually fulfilled in their literal fulfillment. Some are physically fulfilled and some are both physically and spiritually fulfilled in the Bible. So we have to be careful as we work our way through this and give the judgment of charity. When John records the battle of Armageddon in Revelation 16, that is nothing new to them. Let’s look in Judges 5 in which there was a very significant battle where visited in a supernatural way the enemies of God and destroyed them in a place called Megiddo on the plain of Megiddo in the valley of Jezreel. Deborah was the judge and Barak was the one who was called of the Lord under Deborah to bring forth this battle. They fought against extraordinary odds looking as though there was no way they could win this but God intervened. Judges 5:19–22 says [19] “The kings came, they fought; then fought the kings of Canaan, at Taanach, by the waters of Megiddo; they got no spoils of silver. [20] From heaven the stars fought, from their courses they fought against Sisera. [21] The torrent Kishon swept them away, the ancient torrent, the torrent Kishon. March on, my soul, with might! [22] “Then loud beat the horses' hoofs with the galloping, galloping of his steeds . Then he goes on to speak of this full and complete victory. This was in the history of Israel as they had been brought from Egypt and were driving out all of these Canaanite nations as an instrument of God’s judgment. There was a place at Megiddo where child sacrifice would take place under the god of Moloch.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • “Gog and Magog” Revelation 20:7-10; Ezekiel 38 & 39
    The Revelation of Jesus Christ “Gog and Magog” Revelation 20:7-10; Ezekiel 38 & 39 Introduction Revelation 20:1-6 presents the reality of Jesus Christ reigning over all the earth for 1000 years while Satan is locked up in the Abyss. In Revelation 20:7-10, John records the vision where Satan is released from the Abyss at the end of the Millennial Reign of Christ. Satan is then able to gather an army of rebels from all nations (“Gog and Magog”) to come against Christ in Jerusalem. This battle is referred to as the “Battle of Gog and Magog”. But there is also a battle of “Gog and Magog” mentioned in Ezekiel 38 & 39. Are these two battles the same? The Scripture makes it clear that there are two separate battles which carry the reference to “Gog and Magog”. Consideration of these battles will powerfully demonstrate that sinful men continue in their sinful rebellion against God, even after His glorious 1000-year reign of peace and prosperity. It is not surprising that God will judge those who reject His salvation through Jesus. I. The Historical Roots of Gog and Magog Gen. 10:2; Ez. 38:2,15; 39:3-9 A. Magog was a grandson of Noah (Genesis 10:2) B. The descendants of Magog settled in Europe and northern Asia (Ez. 38:2) referred to as "northern barbarians" C. The people of Magog were skilled warriors (Ezekiel 38:15; 39:3-9) II. Two Separate Battles of Gog and Magog Ez. 38 & 39; Rev. 20:7-10 A.
    [Show full text]
  • Gog and Magog Battle Israel
    ISRAEL IN PROPHECY LESSON 5 GOG AND MAGOG BATTLE ISRAEL The “latter days” battle against Israel described in Ezekiel is applied by dispensationalists to a coming battle against the modern nation of Israel in Palestine. The majority of popular Bible commentators try to map out this battle and even name nations that will take part in it. In this lesson you will see that this prophecy in Ezekiel chapters 36 and 37 does not apply to the modern nation of Israel at all. You will study how the book of Revelation gives us insights into how this prophecy will be applied to God’s people, spiritual Israel (the church) in the last days. You will also see a clear parallel between the events described in Ezekiel’s prophecy and John’s description of the seven last plagues in Revelation. This prophecy of Ezekiel gives you another opportunity to learn how the “Three Fold Application” applies to Old Testament prophecy. This lesson lays out how Ezekiel’s prophecy was originally given to the literal nation of Israel at the time of the Babylonian captivity, and would have met a victorious fulfillment if they had remained faithful to God and accepted their Messiah, Jesus Christ. However, because of Israel’s failure this prophecy is being fulfilled today to “spiritual Israel”, the church in a worldwide setting. The battle in Ezekiel describes Satan’s last efforts to destroy God’s remnant people. It will intensify as we near the second coming of Christ. Ezekiel’s battle will culminate and reach it’s “literal worldwide in glory” fulfillment at the end of the 1000 years as described in Revelation chapter 20.
    [Show full text]
  • Prophecy and Current Events
    SYLLABUS Prophecy and Current Events August 5………………Introduction: The Nature of Prophecy Ezekiel 38 - 39 Extra reading.………………………Ezekiel’s Temple August 12 …………………………………….………….. Daniel 7-9 August 19 ………………………………………. Jesus’ Teachings Revelation 7 Seals August 26 ………………………………. Revelation 7 Trumpets Revelation of the Antichrist/False Trinity 7 Bowls and a Wedding For this study, you will need the following tools: 1. A good Bible translation. An ESV, HCSB or NASB is preferred. In class I will be using the NASB unless otherwise stated. If a King James or New King James is used, please choose a text that is edited with the NU text notes if possible. A paraphrased Bible is not a good choice for this study. 2. A concordance or computer program with this tool that is keyed to the Bible translation you are using will be very helpful. 3. A notebook where you can record all of your findings on this topic for cross referencing in the future; the workbook is printed single sided to provide space for notes. Dr. JoLynn Gower, Executive Director Christian Resource Center [email protected] 217-493-6151 www.guardingthetruth.org 1 INTRODUCTION The Day of the Lord Prophecy is sometimes very difficult to study. Because it is hard, or we don’t even know how to begin, we frequently just don’t begin! However, God has given His Word to us for a reason. We would be wise to heed it. As we look at prophecy, it is helpful to have some insight into its nature. Prophets see events; they do not necessarily see the time between the events.
    [Show full text]
  • Gog and Magog and Ethnic Difference in the Catalan Atlas (1375) Thomas Franke
    University of New Mexico UNM Digital Repository History ETDs Electronic Theses and Dissertations 9-12-2014 Monsters at the End of Time: Gog and Magog and Ethnic Difference in the Catalan Atlas (1375) Thomas Franke Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalrepository.unm.edu/hist_etds Recommended Citation Franke, Thomas. "Monsters at the End of Time: Gog and Magog and Ethnic Difference in the Catalan Atlas (1375)." (2014). https://digitalrepository.unm.edu/hist_etds/30 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Electronic Theses and Dissertations at UNM Digital Repository. It has been accepted for inclusion in History ETDs by an authorized administrator of UNM Digital Repository. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Thomas Samuel Franke Candidate History Department This thesis is approved, and it is acceptable in quality and form for publication: Approved by the Thesis Committee: Michael A. Ryan , Chairperson Timothy C. Graham Sarah Davis-Secord Franke i MONSTERS AT THE END OF TIME: GOG AND MAGOG AND ETHNIC DIFFERENCE IN THE CATALAN ATLAS (1375) by THOMAS FRANKE BACHELOR OF ARTS, UC IRVINE 2012 THESIS Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of MASTER OF ARTS HISTORY The University of New Mexico Albuquerque, New Mexico JULY 2014 Franke ii Abstract Franke, Thomas. Monsters at the End of Time: Gog and Magog and Ethnic Difference in the Catalan Atlas (1375). University of New Mexico, 2014. Although they are only mentioned briefly in Revelation, the destructive Gog and Magog formed an important component of apocalyptic thought for medieval European Christians, who associated Gog and Magog with a number of non-Christian peoples.
    [Show full text]
  • The Islamic Traditions of Cirebon
    the islamic traditions of cirebon Ibadat and adat among javanese muslims A. G. Muhaimin Department of Anthropology Division of Society and Environment Research School of Pacific and Asian Studies July 1995 Published by ANU E Press The Australian National University Canberra ACT 0200, Australia Email: [email protected] Web: http://epress.anu.edu.au National Library of Australia Cataloguing-in-Publication entry Muhaimin, Abdul Ghoffir. The Islamic traditions of Cirebon : ibadat and adat among Javanese muslims. Bibliography. ISBN 1 920942 30 0 (pbk.) ISBN 1 920942 31 9 (online) 1. Islam - Indonesia - Cirebon - Rituals. 2. Muslims - Indonesia - Cirebon. 3. Rites and ceremonies - Indonesia - Cirebon. I. Title. 297.5095982 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher. Cover design by Teresa Prowse Printed by University Printing Services, ANU This edition © 2006 ANU E Press the islamic traditions of cirebon Ibadat and adat among javanese muslims Islam in Southeast Asia Series Theses at The Australian National University are assessed by external examiners and students are expected to take into account the advice of their examiners before they submit to the University Library the final versions of their theses. For this series, this final version of the thesis has been used as the basis for publication, taking into account other changes that the author may have decided to undertake. In some cases, a few minor editorial revisions have made to the work. The acknowledgements in each of these publications provide information on the supervisors of the thesis and those who contributed to its development.
    [Show full text]
  • Gog & Magog War End Times Prophesy
    Copyright ©2019-20 Darryl McKinnon. All rights reserved. No part of this document may be reproduced or distributed in any form or by any means without the prior written permission of the copyright holder Gog & Magog War End Times Prophesy 1 www.crossroadoftruth.org Copyright ©2019-20 Darryl McKinnon. All rights reserved. Ezekiel: 38-39 Gog & Magog War • Most Bible scholars believe this is one of the 2 major wars of unfulfilled prophesy before Jesus will return and this siege on Jerusalem will precede the battle of Armageddon where the Lord Jesus Christ will personally return to defeat the Antichrist and his armies. • Ezekiel 37 – Vision of the Valley of Dry Bones – v.11-14 says these bones represent the people of Israel being regathered in the land - Major Sign of End Times – Regathering of Israel • Ezekiel 38 & 39 – says that a large and powerful nation from the north will attack Israel in the end times (v.8 – “latter days”), when the nation of Israel is at peace (Ez. 38:11, 14). • This will be another attempt to exterminate the remnant of Israel in Jerusalem, but God will execute divine judgement and keep His covenants with Israel. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ss0QMZe-Nto – Ezekiel 38 Audio 2 Copyright ©2019-20 Darryl McKinnon. All rights reserved. Ezekiel: 38-39 Gog & Magog War • As this age draws to a close, two major powers will rise in Europe 1. Revived Roman Empire (Daniel’s 10 horn league of nations – the former nations of Europe– Italy, France, England, Spain…) 2. The Northern Confederacy (Russia, Germany, Iran, Turkey, Libya and Ethiopia) will invade Israel in Ezekiel 38-39 • This prophesy predicts there will be a major war that includes Russia, Turkey, Iran and Germany attacking Israel in the end times (Ezek.
    [Show full text]
  • Islam in Apocalyptic Perspective the History of American Apocalyptic Thought Offers Much Reason for Discouragement
    Islam in Apocalyptic Perspective The history of American apocalyptic thought offers much reason for discouragement. Christians have been too eager to gloss biblical prophecy with extra-biblical assertions and morbid scenarios of Islam’s demise. Christian Reflection Prayer A Series in Faith and Ethics Scripture Reading: Mark 13:28-37 Meditation† There is certainly a shadowy and sinister side to apocalyptic, or should we say pseudo-apocalyptic,…[that encourages] sectarian- ism and exclusivism…. Focus Article: Here we can appeal to the apocalyptic vision itself, which is Islam in Apocalyptic universal and cosmic. God’s redemptive act in Jesus Christ Perspective restores humanity and the entire created order, and we move (Apocalyptic Vision, toward the end of history not aimlessly, but with the renewing pp. 46-53) and transforming of divine energies within us…. What is God’s intent? The redemption of humanity and the cosmos. That should be our interpretive lens. There is nothing in apocalyptic theology that demands that our outlook be sectarian or exclusive. Scott M. Lewis, S.J. Reflection Many Christians want to know more about Islamic practices, the Prophet Muhammad, the Qur’an, and how Muslim societies are organized. They may be ministering to Muslim immigrants or meeting new coworkers, guiding missionary projects or organizing business activities around the world, traveling more widely or retreating in fear of jihadist violence. Unfortunately, looming over their newfound interest are the terrorist attacks of 9/11. Some are misconstruing Islam through events in Revelation. “The horrific collapse of the World Trade Center towers might well turn one’s thoughts to the apocalypse, but something more than horror is What do you think? at work,” Thomas Kidd writes.
    [Show full text]
  • Islam in Apocalyptic Perspective by Thomas S
    46 Copyright © 2010 Center for Christian Ethics at Baylor University Islam in Apocalyptic Perspective BY THOMAS S. KIDD The history of American apocalyptic thought about Islam offers much reason for discouragement. Evangelical Christians have been too eager to gloss biblical prophecy with extra-biblical assertions and morbid scenarios of Islam’s demise. ince the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, many Christian Americans have expressed new interest in Islam. Often this interest is Sjust a matter of seeking more information about Muslims, the Prophet Muhammad, and the Qur’an. But many American evangelical and funda- mentalist Christians have placed increased focus on Islam and the apoca- lypse. The horrific collapse of the World Trade Center towers might well turn one’s thoughts to the apocalypse, but something more than horror is at work among these conservative Protestants. For many of them, Islam and jihadist terror seems to fit into long-held ideas about the last days before the return of Christ. Although the details have changed over time, American Christians have actually been speculating about connections between Islam and the apocalypse for centuries. The level of apocalyptic interest generated by 9/11 is new. The pattern of thought is not. For centuries, Protestant Christians have seen Islam as one of the chief religions over which Christ would triumph in the last days. In early Ameri- ca, colonists routinely commented on Islam, its supposedly duplicitous and violent nature, and its coming demise. Colonial Americans lived in a mental world where Islam was perceived as a major threat to Christianity, especial- ly because of the imperial ambitions of the Ottoman Turks, and the aggres- sions of the Barbary pirates.
    [Show full text]
  • Nicholas M. Railton Gog and Magog: the History of a Symbol
    EQ 75:1 (2003),23-43 Nicholas M. Railton Gog and Magog: the History of a Symbol Dr Nicholas Railton is lecturer in German at the University of Ulster. He has published books on the history of the Evangelical Alliance (The German Evangelical Alliance and the Third Reich, 1998; No North Sea. The Anglo-German Evangelical Network in the Middle of the Nineteenth Century, 2000) and articles on Christian responses to the Third Reich. Key words: Bible; Gog; Magog; symbolism. World politics, like the history of Gog and Magog, are very confused and much disputed. (Winston Churchill, 9 November 1951). Introduction Gog from the land of Magog, one of the great enemies of the people of God to appear at the end of the historical process, has vexed and bewildered exegetes for centuries. The prophet Ezekiel seems to speak of an unrepentant nation and its head and communicates God's impending judgement (Ezekiel 38:1-3, New American Stan- dard Bible) : .. And the word of the Lord came to me saying, 'Son of man, set your face toward Gog of the land of Magog, the prince of Rosh, Meshech and Tubal and prophesy against him and say, "Thus says the Lord God, 'Behold, I am against you, 0 Gog, prince of Rosh, Meshech and Tubal.'"' An examination of the historical development of this eschatologi­ cal idea, this Feindbild, will introduce us to the never-ending attempts to decipher these millennial foes inhabiting the areas to the far north of Palestine. This brief survey shows how the desire to interpret the signs of the times and understand the period in which one is living can, and usually has entrenched religious believers in an inflexible, nationalistic and self-righteous mind-set.
    [Show full text]
  • Gog and Magog. Ezekiel 38-39 As Pre-Text for Revelation 19,17-21 and 20
    Wissenschaftliche Untersuchungen zum Neuen Testament • 2. Reihe Herausgegeben von Martin Hengel und Otfried Hofius 135 Sverre B0e Gog and Magog Ezekiel 38 - 39 as Pre-text for Revelation 19,17-21 and 20,7-10 Mohr Siebeck SVERRE B0E, born 1958; studied theology in Oslo (the Norwegian Lutheran School of Theology), besides other studies in USA (Decorah, Iowa), Germany (Celle), and the University of Oslo. 1981-85 part-time preacher in Vestfold, Norway; 1986-99 teacher at Fjellhaug Mission Seminary, Oslo. 1999 Dr. theol. at the Norwegian Lutheran School of Theology, Oslo. From 1999 Associate Professor at Fjellhaug Mission Seminary, Oslo. Die Deutsche Bibliothek - CIP-Einheitsaufhahme B0e, Sverre: Gog and Magog : Ezekiel 38 - 39 as pre-text for Revelation 19,17-21 and 20,7-10 / Sverre B0e. - Tübingen : Mohr Siebeck, 2001 (Wissenschaftliche Untersuchungen zum Neuen Testament : Reihe 2 ; 135) ISBN 3-16-147520-8 © 2001 J.C.B. Mohr (Paul Siebeck), P.O. Box 2040, D-72101 Tübingen. This book may not be reproduced, in whole or in part, in any form (beyond that permitted by copyright law) without the publisher's written permission. This applies particularly to repro- ductions, translations, microfilms and storage and processing in electronic systems. The book was printed by Guide-Druck in Tübingen on non-aging paper and bound by Buchbinderei Heinr. Koch in Tübingen. Printed in Germany ISSN 0340-9570 Preface This book is a revised version of my 1999 dissertation with the same title presented to the Norwegian Lutheran School of Theology, Oslo, in 1999. It was prof. Ernst Baasland who introduced me to a scholarly study of the inter-textual relationship between Revelation and Ezekiel.
    [Show full text]
  • Rev06-Interpretive
    Revelation: Interpretive Decisions Interpretive Decisions Genre Millennium Prophecy Judgments Interpretive Decisions Genre Interpretive Decisions I. Genre—Apocalypse (1:1) A. Correlate 1: highly symbolic Historical development Jewish roots: 4 Ezra, 2 Baruch, 1 Enoch, Daniel 7–12, Zechariah 9–14, Qumran Christian preservation: Sibylline Oracles, Apocalypse of Peter, etc. Interpretive implications numbers are symbolic imagery is fantasy, details only background Interpretive Decisions I. Genre—Apocalypse (1:1) B. Correlate 2: freely innovative Using both biblical and non-biblical imagery Revised meaning: examples from OT ancient of days, Daniel 7 (1:12–16) four sea beasts, Daniel 7 (13:1–2) four colored horses, Zech. 6:1–3 (6:1–8) four creatures, Ezek. 1; Isa. 6:2–3 (4:6–8) Babylon dirge, Isa. 23, 47; others (Rev 18) new heaven/earth, Isa. 65–66 (21:1–22:5) Interpretive Decisions I. Genre—Apocalypse (1:1) B. Correlate 2: freely innovative Using both biblical and non-biblical imagery Revised meaning: examples from OT ancient of days, Daniel 7 (1:12–16) four sea beasts, Daniel 7 (13:1–2) four colored horses, Zech. 6:1–3 (6:1–8) four creatures, Ezek.Jer. 1; 50–51; Isa. Ezek.6:2–3 26–27 (4:6–8) Babylon dirge, Isa. 23, 47; others (Rev 18) new heaven/earth, Isa. 65–66 (21:1–22:5) Interpretive Decisions Daniel 7 Rev 13 1st beast lion 2nd beast bear one beast 3rd beast leopard 4th beast ten horns Interpretive Decisions Daniel 7 Rev 13 4th beast ten horns one beast ten sequential kings of ten kings all the Seleucid dynasty contempo- preceeding the infamous rary with the Antiochus IV Epiphanes sea beast Interpretive Decisions II.
    [Show full text]
  • The War of Gog and Magog: the Haftara of Shabbat Chol Ha-Moed Sukkot
    The War of Gog and Magog: The Haftara of Shabbat Chol Ha-moed Sukkot By Rabbi Mosheh Lichtenstein Translated by David Strauss The haftara for Shabbat Chol ha-Mo'ed Sukkot (Yechezkel 38:18-39:16), which deals with the war of Gog and Magog, is one of the most famous prophecies in Scripture. It has succeeded in taking hold of the human imagination and penetrating deeply into our cultural and religious consciousness. The destruction of the existing and imperfect world, the ultimate war against evil, the heavy price of blood, and God's victory over men of flesh and blood are powerful images that leave a profound impression on the human soul. Thus, this prophecy has become part of the inalienable property of the Jewish and general world. It is quite understandable, then, that this prophecy was included in the haftarot cycle. However, its relationship to the festival of Sukkot is not at all clear, and is even surprising, for what is the connection between a blood-drenched world war and the festival of Sukkot? How does the sukka of peace connect to war, and what is the relationship between the refuge and shelter of the sukka and the destruction and desolation described in this prophecy? The reading of the haftara of Gog and Magog on Shabbat Chol ha-Mo'ed Sukkot is not merely a custom, but an obligation of Talmudic law. The gemara in Megilla (31a) mentions it along with the other haftarot read on the various holidays to this very day; we thus see that Chazal already saw an essential connection between the prophecy and the festival.
    [Show full text]